The opening ceremony of the exhibition of sand sculptures inspired by the “Canticle of the Creatures” saw the participation of the five major religious traditions to share a message of peace.
The inauguration of the 23rd edition of the Jesolo Sand Nativity took place on Monday 1 December, the famous sand nativity scene of Jesolo which this year is inspired by the “Canticle of the Creatures” by Saint Francis on the occasion of the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of its writing.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the five major religious traditions: Brother Diego Taddei representing the Christian tradition, Miriam Camerini representing the Jewish tradition, Hamdan Al Zeqri representing the Muslim tradition, Gigliola Sartor representing the Hindu tradition, and Maria Angela Falà representing the Buddhist tradition. Alongside them, along with Mayor Christofer De Zotti and City Council President Lucas Pavanetto, were fifth-year students from the "Eugenio Montale" classical and linguistic high school in San Donà di Piave and the "Elena Cornaro" hotel management school in Jesolo.
Representatives of religious traditions and students had previously been the protagonists of the conference organized by the cultural association Monsignor Giovanni Marcato entitled “Peace with the Earth, Peace on Earth”, the same one later adopted by Jesolo Sand Nativity.
The students themselves developed a symbolic image to represent Jesolo's vocation for hospitality: two open hands filled with sand, with Jesolo and Venice visible, with the words "Jesolo's hospitality for a culture of peace". Representatives of the religious traditions then wrote their own thoughts on peace on the back of the image.
Following this, a simple but meaningful moment: the handshake between Miriam Camerini and Hamdan Al Zeqri as a greeting and hope for peace, which was then joined by representatives of the other traditions.
The following video features some significant moments from the inauguration ceremony.
Statements from the Mayor of Jesolo, Christofer De Zotti:
Comment by Phil Mer, musician and art critic:
The speech by Giampaolo Rossi, president of the Monsignor Giovanni Marcato cultural association:
The words of Brother Diego Taddei, representing the Christian religious tradition:
Commentary by Miriam Camerini, representing the Jewish religious tradition:
The statements of Maria Angela Falà, representing the Buddhist religious tradition:
